Can-opener.



M. N. THAYER.

CAN OPENER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29. 1916.

1 ,%6,&@ 1a Patented Nov. 13, 1917.

MARSHALL N. THAYER, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

CAN-OPENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 13, 1917.

Application filed September 29, 1916. Serial No. 122,820.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARSHALL N. THAYER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Newark, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Can-Openers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in can openers, and more particularly to that class of can openers which is intended to lift the can top or cover from the can, as distinguished from the can openers'which cut through the top or cover. The object of my invention is to produce a cheap and simple device of this character which can be readily applied to the top or cover of a can, and by which the cover can be lifted off readily without spoiling the cover, so that it can be reused afterward. More particularly my invention is intended to produce a device of this character having opposed jaws or members which are spaced apart with relation to each other so as to span the top of a can, one of the members at least being adjustable backward and forward and up and down in order to bring it into the right position with relation to the can top, this member having also means for engaging the under edge of the cover or top. These opposed members or jaws have a handle connection by which when adjusted so as to fit a cover, the latter can be easily lifted bodily from the can. My invention is also intended to provide a very convenient and quick acting means of adjusting the cover engaging part or member so that the device can be applied to a can of any usual size, and to covers of different heights, that is having their vertical flanges of different heights. All of which will be clearly understood from the description which follows.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device as applied to the cover of a can.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the device, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of a locking pawl forming a part of the structure.

The device has a main bar 10 which can be of any approved cross sectional shape and length, and this at one end is formed into a hook or jaw 11 adapted to press firmly against one side of the can or cover top, and this aw is preferably thinned at its lower edge so that it can be used as a hook or cutter for scraping away the paper which sometimes covers the junction of the can body and cover. The bar is provided at the top with ratchet teeth as shown at 12 to provide for the longitudinal adjustment of the second jaw 13 which is movable back and forth on the main bar 10. This second jaw can be conveniently made of sheet metal bent t5 the desired shape and arranged to straddle the main bar, the lower portion of the sides being brought together and formed on the inner side with a sharp hook or tooth 14 which is adapted to engage the under edge of a can cover.

As the can covers are of different heights, the jaw or member 13 is vertically adjustable, and to this end it is provided on the outer side or edge with teeth or notches 15 which are adapted to be engaged by the teeth or arms 16 on the sides of the slide plate 17 which moves along the top of the bar 10. This slide plate 17 is preferably of about the width of the bar 10, and at its inner end the plate 17 has a cross-head 18 serving as a guide for the member 13 which moves vertically between the parts 16 and 18. At its outer end the slide plate 17 is formed into a. tooth 19 which engages the ratchet teeth 12. The plate is also preferably provided with a cam surface 20 on its upper side which may be engaged by the sliding sleeve 21 which extends around the bar 10 and the plate 17, as shown clearly in the drawings.

It will be seen, therefore, that by moving the sleeve 21 off the cam 20, the sleeve and plate, together with the member 13, can be moved freely back and forth along the bar 10, but by pushing the sleeve 21 over the cam 20 the plate 17 is pressed downward and the tooth 19 engages the ratchet teeth 12 so as to prevent the slide plate and the jaw or member 13 from slipping back.

The jaw or member 13 is provided at the top with a handle member 22 which is firmly secured to the jaw, and is essentially parallel with the bar 10. As the handle member 22 is rigidly attached to the jaw 13, and the latter is pivoted on its fulcrum as shown,

the member 22 serves asa lever, and when the said member is pressed toward the member 10, a strong lever action is had, and the tooth 14 is moved firmly into position beneath the edge of the cover to be lifted.

When the device is to be used the bar 10 is laid across the top of a can, the jaw 11 overlapping one side thereof, and the jaw 13 is moved so as to abut with the side of the can cover and is adjusted vertically so as to bring the tooth or hook let immediately below the edge of the can cover. The operator then grasps both members 10 and 22 in one hand, and by such action the jaw 13 pivots on the teeth 16 which act as fulcrums, and swings the tooth or hook 14: beneath and in engagement with the lower edge of the cover. The device can then be raised bodily and the cover lifted cleanly from the can.

It will be noticed that where the can is covered with paper, the member 11 can be used as a hook or cutter so as to scrape away the paper at the junction of the cover and can edge, thus freeing the cover from the binding eii'ect of the paper, and providing a clean space for the tooth or hook 14.

It will be readily seen that the important features of the invention are the adjustable connection between the members 11 and 13, and the means for adjusting the jaw 13 vertically, thus changing the fulcrum as well as efl'ecting the adjustment and also adjusting the lever action of the member 132. It will also be noted that difierent means of fastening the jaw 13 in a desired position can be employed without departing from the principle of this invention, which is not conned to any particular means of procuring the adjustment of the members 13 and 11 and of securing the parts in their adjusted positions.

I claim l. A can opener comprising a bar, a fixed jaw thereon, a second jaw adjustable back and forth lengthwise of the bar and also adjustable transversely of the bar, the means of transverse adjustment also serving as a fulcrum for the second jaw, and a lever member rigid on the second jaw and lying generally parallel with the bar.

2. A can opener comprising a bar adapted to extend across a can top and having a transversely extending jaw thereon, a second jaw arranged generally perpendicular tothe bar and adjustable longitudinally and transversely thereon, a lever member on the second jaw lying generally parallel with the bar, and a tooth on the second jaw to engage the lower edge of a can cover.

8. A can opener comprising a bar having a fixed jaw offset thereon, a second jaw movable longitudinally and vertically on the bar, a pivot connection between the second jaw and the bar, said pivot serving as a fulcrum, a handle lever member rigid on the second jaw and lying generally parallel with the bar, and means on the second jaw to engage a can cover.

A. A can opener comprising a bar having an offset jaw rigid thereon, a second jaw adjustable longitudinally and vertically on the bar, a pivot for the second jaw serving as its fulcrum, means on the second jaw below the bar for engaging a can cover, and a rigid handle or lever member secured to the second jaw above the bar and lying generally parallel with the bar.

MARSHALL N. THAYER.

Witnesses:

GEORGE CLARKE, ANNA M. BITTER. 

